Very classy colour, great fit, elastic waist, stealthy left side thigh pocket, good right side thigh pocket, reflective tape inside pant leg for biking, looks great in bush and in the city, has some stretch element to it.

Cons:

Not as stretchy as the advertising would make you think, draw string doesn’t work really well

Fit:

Standard

Would I recommend?

I have had these pants since early March, and I feel like they have become my go-to comfy yet classy pant, especially for urban travels and adventures. These are a really well-built, well-fitted pair of pants with a lot of functionality. The colours are pretty spectacular and I find I can totally get away with wearing them in more casual-but-professional occasions. I’ve worn them for meet-and-greets with clients, as well as when I give keynote speeches, not to mention just going around town and even for hikes in the woods. On top of that, they’re really quite comfortable. Having an elastic waist instead of belt loops means they hug my waist very comfortably and I never have to worry about them moving around.

What I love about these pants is how versatile they are. They fit in place regardless of the context with which I’m wearing them. On top of that, they have a series of features that are incredible. For example, when I’m biking, I naturally roll up my pant leg so that my pants don’t get caught in the chain. When you do that, you reveal some reflective tape on the inside of this pant leg specifically for when you’re biking so that cars have an easier time seeing you. They also have an very stealthy small pocket on the left thigh that zips up. I’ve often placed cash or credit cards in that pocket when I don’t want to carry a wallet without worrying about anyone even noticing the pocket exists, let alone worrying about pickpockets. They’re made with a canvas nylon, so they’re very durable and also tight enough of a weave that mosquitos and other insects cannot bite through them. By being a cotton-nylon blend, they also have the quick-drying feature that isn’t as quick as full-on polyester or nylon, but much quicker than full-on cotton, while still having that cotton-canvas look.

With all that said, there are definitely some things that are not as awesome as they could be. The drawstring on the waist is pretty hard to tighten effectively. Because of that, I’ve never really been able to tighten my pants. So far, this hasn’t led to any awkward situation of my pants falling down, but if the elastic ever starts to go, it may become an issue. Secondly, Mountain Hardwear claims they have performance stretch. It’s possible that newer iterations have better performance stretch, but the ones I have would not be my first choice for activities requiring crazy flexibility. They’re quite comfortable, and I can definitely move in them, but doing a high step would likely be a bit restricted. Also, because they’re a cotton-nylon blend, I wouldn’t necessarily choose them for times when I’m expecting to be stuck in the rain.

The flip side to that is that I wouldn’t be really concerned about using them in situations where there’s the chance for my pants to get scrapped along rocks or other surfaces that would wear out other pants more quickly. Add the fact that these things have 6 functional pockets, and re-enforced stitching/material in high wear areas like the back of the bottom pant leg, and you’ve got yourself a well-built, well-fitting awesome pair of pants.